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Are GMOs good or bad? Are GMOs good or bad?
GMOs are bad GMOs are bad
GMOs are good GMOs are good
GMOs are neither good nor bad GMOs are neither good nor bad
There are health concerns related to GMOs There are health concerns related to GMOs
GMOs are harmful to the environment GMOs are harmful to the environment
There are legal and socioeconomic risks associated with GMOs There are legal and socioeconomic risks associated with GMOs
GMOs are not natural GMOs are not natural
GMOs have been proven safe GMOs have been proven safe
GMOs can lower expenses for farmers and lower the price of food GMOs can lower expenses for farmers and lower the price of food
GMOs can help address world hunger GMOs can help address world hunger
GMOs are good for the environment GMOs are good for the environment
We don’t have enough testing for the long-term health effects We don’t have enough testing for the long-term health effects
All GMOs can’t be evaluated as one category All GMOs can’t be evaluated as one category
There are both good and bad aspects of GMOs There are both good and bad aspects of GMOs
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Are GMOs good or bad?
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GMOs are good

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GMOs are good for the environment

GMOs result in less pesticide use, reduce the amount of land and water needed to grow, and improve soil quality. They also decrease carbon dioxide emissions. This is all good for the environment.
Dr. Sarah Evanega
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The Argument

GMOs are good for the environment because they result in less pesticide, land, and water use. Modifying crops to be pest-resistant means that there is less need to use pesticides. These pesticides are harmful to the environment and to animals such as honeybees and monarch butterflies.[1] Crops can also be modified to be drought resistant which would help to waste less water. GMOs also produce increased yields which means they require less land.[2] Using less land and water for agriculture is good for the environment. GMOs also help improve soil quality because farmers no longer need to till (which removes nutrients from the soil and causes erosion) to address weeds since the crops are herbicide-resistant. As a result of less pesticide spraying and tilling, farmers don’t use their tractors as much which means less carbon dioxide emissions.[2] All of this is good for the environment.

Counter arguments

GMOs result in more herbicide use. A report from 2001-2010 found that herbicide use increased by 26% as weed resistance increased because of GMOs.[3] These herbicides are made of glyphosate which is a toxic chemical; this chemical gets into the water, harms soil quality, and increases the susceptibility of crops to diseases.[4] This is all extremely bad for the environment. Additionally, farmers are actually having to do more tillage (which erodes the soil) because the increase of herbicide-resistant crops is creating a rapid increase in superweeds that are resistant to herbicide.[5]

Proponents

Premises

[P1] GMOs can be pest-resistant which lowers the need to use pesticides. [P2] GMOs can be modified to need less water which lowers water waste. [P3] Lower pesticide use and water waste are good for the environment.

Rejecting the premises

References

  1. https://ag.purdue.edu/GMOs/Pages/GMOsandInsects.aspx
  2. https://medium.com/@debunkingdenialism/five-ways-gmos-benefit-the-environment-c48eee7e2765
  3. https://modernfarmer.com/2013/12/post-gmo-economy/
  4. https://allianceforscience.cornell.edu/blog/2018/08/the-gmo-debate/
  5. https://www.centerforfoodsafety.org/reports/1770/seed-giants-vs-us-farmers
This page was last edited on Friday, 10 Jul 2020 at 01:45 UTC

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